Leading up to the 2008-09 ETSU women's basketball season, the ETSU media relations office, with help from graduate assistant Lindsay Christensen, will feature player profiles on all 12 of the Lady Buccaneer student-athletes. This new segment allows fans to catch a glimpse of what each player is doing off the court, as the Lady Bucs look to make a run at their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

Junior post Latisha Belcher (Martinsville, Va.) spent some time out of her busy schedule to answer some questions with ETSU women's basketball grant team member Lindsay Christensen.

LC:Why did you decide to come to ETSU?

LB:I came to ETSU because of the people, and I also fell in love with the team.

LC:How do you feel you have developed since getting to college?

LB:Dealing with basketball, I have become stronger and a better player. Personally though, I don't feel like I have changed at all. I didn't have to, because my team loves me for who I am without any changes. I'm still the same goofy, soft-hearted girl whom I have always been.

LC:Tell me about school.

LB:I am majoring Physical Education, however, school is very difficult. I have a really challenging schedule.

LC:What do you do in your spare time?

LB:I love to cook, do hair and sleep.

LC:What is your favorite basketball memory at ETSU?

LB:The last ten seconds of the Jacksonville (A-Sun Championship) game last year. I remember getting the ball at the end of the game and holding it. Then the buzzer went off and I threw it into the air - it was the perfect moment.

LC:Who do you consider your biggest motivator?

LB:My team. They are always there, telling me I can do it and pushing me through.

LC:Do you remember the first ever time you played?

LB:I do. The reason I'm here is a free throw contest we had when I was in the fourth grade. It was the first time I'd ever shot a basketball, and I made it to the final round. I was against a girl who ended up being the daughter of my AAU coach. After that contest, I realized I could be good. I played for that coach from sixth grade until graduation.

LC:What goals do you have for this season?

LB:Individually, my main goal is to make it through the entire year, because my knee is not in very good shape. I'd also really like to beat the record for steals. I am working on getting 10 steals in a single game, which would break the all-time mark of nine. As a team, my goal is that we take every game one by one and focus on each team that we play. I don't want us to get to ahead of ourselves and start looking past anyone.

LC:If you had to trade lives with a teammate, who would it be, and why?

LB:I would trade with either Devin (Thompson) or TaRonda (Wiles). It would be incredibly fun to switch with Devin, because she is the complete opposite of me. Switching with TaRonda would be very interesting, because she is so artistic. I would love to see life how she sees it, and to know what she is thinking.

LC:What is one drastic change you would make about yourself?

LB:I would fix my knee - it's brokenů I would cut off my leg for a new one!

LC:Where do you see yourself in ten years?

LB:In the Army and playing ball. I'm in the reserves right now, so that is where I hope to be once I finish here.

LC:Why do you play?

LB:Basketball saved me. It gave me the opportunity to get away. I didn't want to be stuck in one place, and basketball got me out.

Also, I play for the trap press. I play for the steal that gets the whole team going. The steal sets off a spark in every single player that is on the court; the steal proves that tall people can play defense, too. Defense is my passion and my favorite part of the game. I believe if you play defense, then, the offense will come. I play basketball because I love feeling the way I do when we make that play.

Belcher and the Lady Bucs will be in action this weekend, as ETSU heads to Evansville for its season opener. Tip is set for 5 p.m. (EST) inside Roberts Stadium. Fans can also catch the Lady Bucs in their home opener when they "Pack the House" versus #12 Vanderbilt on Friday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m.